Hi, I have been invited for a research internship in Germany for a period of 6 months. I will be paid a monthly amount of 1100 Euros by the research institute. I will however need a student visa for this.
Now on the checklist for the student visa, it says APS is exempted under the following conditions
If you obtain a non-German degree
If you have a foreign degree that is not Indian (e.g. British degree, Turkish degree, etc.)
If you intend to do a PhD / PostDoc in Germany
If you have an international Indian degree (e.g. International Baccalaureate)
If you receive a stipend from public funds (EU or German funds)
My funding comes from an EU public project in a STEM field. My research institute will pay me 1100 Euros monthly (which is more than the required 992 euros for a blocked account) from that project fund and I will be contributing to that project.
My question is does that qualify for an APS exemption? Since APS is very new, the research institute has little knowledge of the exemption process but they can guarantee in writing that I will be funded (they don't seem to use the word stipend for whatever reasons) by an official EU project and that they do not require APS and have thoroughly vetted my background.
To give more background
- I am an Indian national.
- I have an active degree ongoing in a very famous and reputed Indian university.
- My internship in Germany is part of my degree's thesis and will count towards my degree completion. Therefore I will not be receiving any German degree. My Indian university can attest to the same.
- I intend to return to India after 6 months to finish my degree. I also have a job offer from a very big tech company in India.
- I have solid grades and a strong research background which is what allowed me to get an internship in the first place. The research institute and my thesis supervisor in Germany can verify that as well.
The reason I want an APS exemption is because the timeline is very unpredictable and my internship starts soon. I believe I can demonstrate sufficient credibility of my qualifications and can display that I am being funded by a large EU project and will be supervised by the PI of the said project. Please let me know if anyone is aware of the process or has gone through the process themselves. Thanks in advance!
APS context
by Ok-Paint-7211
2 comments
Don’t worry. I don’t see why an Advanced Propulsion System would be required for your visa.
I recommend contacting the Akademische Prüfstelle in India (https://aps-india.de) or the embassy in this matter. I work at an admission office at a university and would say that the APS requirement can be waived in your case, but I think only the embassy can give you a definite answer.